FUN WITH MAPS ISSUE 2026-091

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (June 2, 2026) – This edition of Fun with Maps lands on the moon before the “Giant Leap” for mankind…

A SOFT LANDING BUT A GIANT STEP

Sixty years ago – June 2, 1966 – Surveyor 1 made a soft landing on the lunar surface and began to transmit pictures back to earth.  It was the first US spacecraft to land on an extraterrestrial body.

Surveyor 1 sent back over 11,000 pictures before transmission ended on January 7, 1967.  There were 7 Surveyor missions in total, and later ones carried scientific instruments to take measurements and send back that data.  But the first one was purely for a look around.

Immediately declared a success in accomplishing a landing, Surveyor 1 took just over 63 1/2 hours to reach its target.  The success of the design was critical in planning the later Apollo missions.  The spacecraft still remains in the crater known as the Ocean of Storms.

A map of the moon is presented here by Stieler from 1877.  No cheese.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps. Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.